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Stylohyoid

The stylohyoid muscle
is a facial muscle located in the neck. It is thin and slender and is attached
to the hyoid bone, which lies just below the lower jaw, or mandible. The muscle
lifts the hyoid bone during swallowing, which gives the characteristic in and
out appearance of swallowing. In addition, it lifts the base of the tongue up
when swallowing. It is essential to the process of eating.

The muscle starts at the styloid process, a pointed part of
the skull's temporal bone, which lies just below the ear and functions as an
anchor point for a number of muscles. The stylohyoid is located just in front
of the digastric muscle, which lifts the tongue back when swallowing. It is
perforated (run through) by a facial tendon – the digastric tendon – before it
slots into the hyoid bone. The stylohyoid muscle is given instructions by the
facial nerve.

Relatively few conditions affect the stylohyoid
muscle. One notable one is myofascial pain syndrome, which causes severe pain
in these muscles. There is no known cure to this syndrome, although nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, are prescribed to
reduce pain and inflammation. In very severe cases, injections are used to numb
the affected area.